Devils defenseman Adam Larsson was happy to get back into the swing of things Thursday night despite his team’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Islanders. The 20-year-old Swede was a healthy scratch for five games before making his season debut during the game.

“You never want to sit on the side and watch the games so it feels really good to be back…you know the first game is good to have out of the way,” he said after practice Friday morning.

Head coach Peter DeBoer may have added Larsson to the lineup due to the team being shorthanded on defense as Mark Fayne sat out with a “minor” arm injury, according to DeBoer. But paired with Andy Greene, Larsson saw plenty of minutes — 17:51 of ice time.

“I think I was pretty nervous [Thursday], so that made it a bit hard for me… next game will be a little bit easier,” Larsson said.

After playing 65 games in his rookie season last year with the Devils, and 33 games with the Devils’ AHL affiliate (Albany) during the recent lockout, Larsson was able to contribute successfully Thursday night. In the second period, it was Larsson who ignited a play that, after several successful passes from his teammates, resulted in a goal by forward Steve Bernier.

“I got a good pass from Greene, and then I saw Carter in the high slot tip so I was just shooting for his stick and we had some lucky bounces,” Larsson shared.

DeBoer, who felt Larsson’s minutes were earned, commented on his performance Friday.

“I thought he was very good. For a kid that sat for a while, I thought he was one of our best defenseman,” he said.

DeBoer also commented on Larsson’s influence from his teammates during his time on the bench. He said, “He needs [to be] a little more deliberate in his game, a little more urgency, and I think sitting and watching gives you a little bit of that.”

“Having eight defensemen around, and you don’t’ have a secure job every night, should give all of those guys a little more of that.”

Larsson seemed to have similar feelings about his game play.

“I think it’s good to watch from the stands and learn from what the older guys are doing,” he said.

Larsson’s time in Albany also helped him.

“I think [time in Albany] was good for me. I got to play a lot, with all the special teams and everything. It’s always good for a young guy like me to play a lot of games and a lot of minutes for experience,” he shared.

Although Larsson hopes to play in the Devils’ road game against the Penguins on Saturday, DeBoer said that decision would not be made until game day.

“We’re going to make those decisions Saturday morning,” DeBoer said.

Larsson is the Devils’ first rookie defenseman to notch a postseason goal in his first game, as well as the club’s second defenseman to score in his NHL playoff debut. He scored 19 points in 33 AHL games this season.